The Donovan Concert: Live in L.A.

Well, here's an odd couple: filmmaker David Lynch (of dark and twisted cinematic visions fame) introduces ‘60s flower child troubadour Donovan in this January 2007 concert at Los Angeles' Kodak Theatre—a PBS-aired 13-song benefit performance for the…um…David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace. Aside from a few references to transcendental meditation (which Donovan discovered with the Beatles in India), this is a low-key trip down memory lane, as the songwriter sings and plays guitar (and occasionally harmonica) on a string of hits—including “Catch the Wind,” “Sunshine Superman,” “Season of the Witch,” and “Hurdy Gurdy Man,” as well as the timely Buffy Sainte-Marie-penned “Universal Soldier”—backed by Tom Mansi on standing bass and Stewart Lawrence on percussion. The hits are both well-presented and fun to revisit, although songs such as “Jennifer Juniper,” heard here some 40-plus years after it was penned, remind us that—superficial similarities aside—Donovan was not Dylan. In between songs, Donovan provides amiable (though not terribly insightful) musings about his travels during the ‘60s, while images of the artist as a young man are projected on a wall behind him. At the close, guest stars Mike Love of the Beach Boys and Donovan's daughter Astrella Celeste join the singer for a rousing rendition of his signature “Mellow Yellow.” Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo, DVD extras include four bonus songs. Recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)